Leaked trove reveals extent of far-right AfD’s efforts to court Trump and Maga allies

Key Points:

• A data leak from Germany’s far-right party AfD reveals over a decade of efforts to court Donald Trump and MAGA figures, including obsequious congratulatory messages after Trump’s 2016 election and ongoing contacts with US officials during his terms.
• The AfD, now leading national polls and aiming to form Germany’s first far-right state government since WWII, is monitored by German intelligence as a suspected extremist group with some branches confirmed extremist.
• Leaked emails show AfD leaders like Alice Weidel cultivating ties with Trump ideologues such as Steve Bannon, and attempts to gain US support on policy issues including the removal of the UN "enemy state" clause against Germany.
• AfD politicians, including Markus Frohnmaier, sought meetings with US Embassy officials and right-wing media figures, while US officials engaged with the party despite controversies around its extremist classification and Russian influence allegations.
• The party’s 2025 election program calls for lifting sanctions on Russia and opposes NATO expansion, reflecting its nationalist and revisionist foreign policy stance, while other German parties maintain a "firewall" against cooperating with the AfD.